Jay's Bio from his memorial celebration

Here is the text of Jay's biography, given by Pastor Dick Anderson at the memorial service on May 15th, 2009.

John Arthur “Jay” Denison was born March 18th 1958, at Arcadia Methodist Hospital, and spent almost his entire life in the Arcadia area.

Jay’s unique association with numbers started on the day he was born. His mother had labored for 39 hours, and Jay was the 39th baby born in what was then Methodist Hospital’s brand new maternity ward. There’s another number 39 associated with his birth, but only Jay remembers what it is!

Jay loved kittens. Growing up, he could never resist a “free kitten” sign. His mom used to tell him “Jay you have got to stop bringing home stray cats!” But, he didn’t stop. Jay loved to collect other things besides kittens. Not expensive things, but things like key chains and pretty rocks, and especially the thousands photos he took. He still has the key chains and the rocks, a great many photo albums, and more framed photographs than the walls of his condo can hold. He loved showing off all his pictures, especially pictures of all the kids he watched over the years. Jay was very proud of how well all of “his” kids grew up. He felt like he’d had a hand in raising them, which he truly did.

Jay overcame many obstacles in his life and was justifiably proud of all his accomplishments. He suffered greatly from epilepsy beginning at about age 12, so he was not able to drive or hold a job for long. But, he didn’t let that stop him. He relied on his bicycle and the public bus to get him where he needed to go. He had the all the bus routes, running times and transfer points memorized – an early example of his amazing ability to remember numbers. Sometimes Jay and his sister Julie would ride a combination of public buses all the way to Magic Mountain or the beach in Malibu. Jay once got a traffic ticket for riding his bicycle with two passengers on board. I would like to have seen a picture of that!

Jay’s school years were not very happy times. Learning was difficult for him and schools could not give him the extra help that he needed. Other kids would tease and make fun of him, so he didn’t have many friends. However, in the late 1970’s, during his teenage years, Jay joined Sierra Madre Congregational Church and found incredible joy in being with a loving and accepting community that was so different than what he experienced in school. He found the love of Christ in his own life and through his adoptive family of SMCC. Jay quickly adapted his gift for remembering numbers by learning everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, phone numbers, addresses, and even their license plates! It helped Jay to connect with and remember people, and he took great delight in amazing everyone with his memory. He was renowned and beloved for calling up people to say things like, “Don’t forget - your wedding anniversary is in two days. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your wife!” By the way, the family has discovered Jay’s secret method for remembering birthdays and other important dates and is willing to reveal it for $5.00 per person. (Just kidding!)

In his mid-20’s, Jay’s most persistent prayer was answered when he overcame epilepsy. So, in 1987 at the age of 28, he was finally able to get his driver’s license. This was a great triumph for him. Like everyone who earns their driver’s license, Jay felt like he had finally joined the adult world. Being able to drive gave him more confidence, and he treasured the independence it gave him.

We all know how much Jay loved kids. He had many hundreds of childcare jobs over the years and even bought a mini-van so that he could help out the families that he babysat for. Jay was someone you could always depend on. Jay soon graduated from child care to full time employment as a security guard, a job he kept for almost 20 years, much of that for Goudy Honda. He used his entrepreneurial spirit to also become a very busy house and pet sitter. That gave him extra money to buy his own home, own a good car, and travel. He took all of his work seriously and was pleased that people put so much trust in him. He would often have to leave family dinners early to go to his job at Goudy, or to tend to his animals. It didn’t matter if it was Christmas; Jay was determined to be to work on time. In his very last conversation with his sister, from his hospital bed Jay asked Julie to call his boss to say that he was too sick to work.

Jay was determined to be financially independent even though it meant working more than one job. Being able to buy his own condo was very satisfying for him. And, last year he was able to visit Hawaii, and take a 2 week vacation cruise through the Panama Canal, which he said was the highlight of his life.

Jay is loved by all his family and friends. His sudden illness and passing were so unexpected that it is still hard to accept he is gone. He is going to be missed, but we find real comfort in knowing that he is in heaven with our Lord Jesus. It is amazing to see what happens when God’s people come together. Jay’s family has found great comfort, strength and joy from the prayers and presence of the Body of Christ during such a difficult time.

Jay is survived by: Mother - Betty Hause, Sister - Julie Polek, Aunt - Dorothy Kelly, Uncle - Eugene Fischer, Nephew - Kenny Polek, Niece - Christy Polek, Brother-in-law-Victor Polek, and many cousins around the country.